Reviewer Conny Withay:Operating her own business
in office management since 1991, Conny is an avid reader and
volunteers with the elderly playing her designed The Write Word Game.
A cum laude graduate with a degree in art living in the Pacific
Northwest, she is married with two sons, two daughters-in-law, and
three grandchildren.

“While it may not be
possible to protect yourself against all fraudsters, the tips and
techniques in this book will help to prevent many fraudsters from
taking advantage of you as both a consumer and merchant/provider,”
Jen Grondahl Lee and Gini Graham Scott write in the introduction of
their book, Preventing Credit Card Fraud: A Complete Guide for
Everyone from Merchants to Consumers.

At two-hundred-and-fifty
pages, this hardbound targets those who want to protect their
finances when it involves credit cards or identity. After the
authors’ biographies, foreword, and introduction, the book is
divided into two parts that total fourteen chapters, ending with
notes and an index.

The first section
discusses in nine chapters how a consumer or client can protect
themselves when it comes to credit cards. Topics cover using the new
chip credit cards, guarding financial information, inspecting card
offers, phishing, and what the victim should do if scammed. The
second part contains five chapters from the merchant or service
provider’s point of view related to encouraging cash payments,
potentials of fraud, avoiding chargeback frauds, and establishing
security with barriers.

Having had our credit cards hacked, we
want to be fastidious in protecting our finances and identification.
I like how the authors push using cash whenever possible and if you
use a credit card, leave a trail of documentation, especially online.
Explaining free trial scams, naming phony products, getting your
money back, alternatives to using cards, and supplying sample written
letters are included. With skimmers, cameras, and flagrant online
abuse, we all need to be more careful in how we purchase items,
products, or services.

Those who do not use credit cards
may not be interested in this book; however, they may find some
information on how to protect one’s identity. With the book mainly
about consumers, the merchants/vendors may wish their section
included more.

Lee is a successful Californian bankruptcy
attorney who is dedicated to helping individuals and small business
owners deal with debt issues and long-term plans for financial
stability. An author of over ninety books, Scott is also a
consultant, speaker, and seminar leader.

Since the book
covers both sides of credit card issues, a consumer may not want to
read about the merchant suggestions while the provider may not want
to know about fraud from an individual basis. With the amount of
book’s content, it could be divided into two separate entities.
Since I am aware of credit card protection, I did not glean any new
concepts from a consumer’s aspect.

For those who are
interested in protecting their credit card information, both as a
consumer or vendor, this is a helpful go-to advice book.

Thanks to Bookpleasures
and the authors for this book that I freely evaluated.